A RIGHT ROYAL SPREAD

I celebrated the Royal Wedding with friends yesterday. We all sat around the TV, deconstructing everything for hours - guests, hair, makeup, THE DRESS, Pippa's cleavage, and so on. I would hardly say my friends are Royalists (in fact probably more Republican in leaning), but it was a great day to just sit around, get pleasantly sozzled and find ourselves strangely caught up in something that was just plain fun. It was also a chance for me to cook. I love baking, and parties always give me an excuse to make the things there is no point in making if there's just one of you, including my Kate *hearts* Will pork pie.  

THE ROYAL WEDDING

So, Wills & Kate are married. I got together with friends and watched the ceremony, ate lots of food and got slightly tipsy on champagne before 1pm. As long as they open primary schools, give us a bit of gossip and the odd day off, I'm fine with them being around. 

I've been meaning to post this fabulous necklace by Disaya for a while now, but it seems like the right day today, what with all the pomp, ceremony and official outfits. 

Picture from asos.com 

WOMEN IN LOVE - HAIR INSPIRATION

I finally got round to watching the BBC4 adaptation of Women in Love last week and, typical me, the main thing I took from it was hair inspiration. You see, Rosamund Pike was giving good hair (or more likely the hair stylist was). I loved the casual, slightly undone but very elegant bunches tied behind the ear. 

My attempts at it totally suck, because I am the most inept person when it comes to hair styling, but I still quite like it. Subtly different, but different nonetheless. 

Top - Topshop 

Trousers - J Brand 

Shoes - Prada

DRESS STRESS

I love garments with strange structures and fold to them. Sadly, I don't think my body does. They never look *quite* right on me. This dress would be great for a beach cover up or for lolling around in on holiday, but I'd struggle to make it suitable for city living. 

My attempt at Easter nails...

Dress - Cos 

Socks - Topshop 

Shoes - Prada 

ALL BLACK

Head band - Sonia Rykiel

Jumper - Jil Sander x Unqilo 

T shirt - Topshop 

Belt - H&M

Trousers - Whistles 

Shoes - Zara

HAPPY EASTER

Fleece suit - Primark 

GREAT SHOES

Wedge. Cut out. Asymmetrical straps. I just love these shoes. River Island is fabulous. 

T shirt - Rodarte 

Jeans - Zara

Shoes - River Island 

WAH NAILS

I ran the London Marathon last Sunday. My shirt read Katy B, but I thought I should get my nails done too, so thank you to the fabulous Wah Nails for offering such an amazing range of choices of nail art. Although I do like the music of Katy B, I should point out that Katy B was my name first (after all I am about 10 years older than her) and I am not, as people have asked, a crazy fan. 

Jacket - Whistles 

T shirt - Versus x Christopher Kane 

Trousers - J Brand 

Trainers - Converse

Nails - Wah Nails, Topshop 

WHISTLES SILK PRINT HAREM PANTS

After much searching, I found the matching trousers (above) to one of my favourite tops (below). I think one of the best things about the internet (with regards to fashion) is the proliferation of discount past season sales - sites like Yoox, The Outnet, ASOS Outlet, Farfetch.com and eBay, mean that there is always a chance to find the things you missed the first time round. You have to be pretty dedicated to find items, for me it's checking sites at least every other day for perhaps a year or two before you strike gold. It has become second nature for me to type certain search terms when I have a spare minute at work or at the end of the day. 

Top - Whistles 

Jeans - Uniqlo 

Shoes - YSL

T shirt - Topshop 

Trousers - Whistles 

Sandals - Zara

SURFACE TO AIR TAPESTRY SLIPPERS

Slippers. 

If you read this blog you know I've been a bit obsessed by them for some time. From Tom Ford's extortionate £1,000 pair to the plethora of choice Stubbs & Wootton offer, I have been tempted by them, but ultimately thwarted (either by price, long waiting times for bespoke pairs, or in the case of Stubbs & Wootton, closed on a Sunday). 

When I saw these tapestry slippers in Liberty it was a no brainer. Surface to Air are rapidly becoming one of my favourite shoe brands, offering the most comfortable wedges imaginable and distinctive designs, but I hadn't seen these before. 

They are utterly perfect in every way and will allow me to glance at my feet and pretend I am Agatha Christie on a dig with Max Mallowan somewhere in Mesopotamia (although the website claims it is an Aztec motif...mere details...). 

T shirt - Urban Outfitters 

Trousers - J Brand 

Slippers - Surface to Air 

LIFE IS NEVER SIMPLE, BUT MY OUTFIT IS

I bought these plastic heart shaped bangles in a charity shop in Blackheath, when I was about 17, for the grand sum of 25p. I have a rather large collection of jewellery - mostly charity finds, Topshop, H&M and New Look, with the odd smattering of Chanel and Pamela Love, but I rarely wear the majority of it because it's not exactly easy to find. My main aim at the moment is to find some way of ordering my bangles, rings and necklaces so I can access them easily. I haven't worn these in about 7 years because they were stuffed at the bottom of a glass jar full of rings and things, but when I was getting ready I knew I needed one extra detail. A bit a rummage and a lot of mess later I retrieved them from storage and they added just the right amount of prep to complete my outfit. 

How do you store your jewellery? I'm averse to the wire trees with things like 'love' or 'earrings' written on them, so I use an Ikea wooden box with drawers and a few big glass jars. If anyone has any storage solutions / inspirational home pornography they can send my way I'd be most grateful. 

Shirt - American Apparel 

Jeans - Topshop 

Shoes - Marc Jacobs 

Watch - Chanel 

Bangles - Charity Shop